Who's listening to whose story?

Abstract

In the 1990s, under the influence of the lifting of martial law in Taiwan, Mali Wu's works drew on a feminist perspective combined with field surveys and documentation to present the lives of individuals in microscopic detail. The Treasure Island (Tales of Formosa) series, which grew out of these concerns, deals with gender and its relations with the nation, the economy and urban development, and presents a historic angle different from the mainstream viewpoint. Wu attempts to create a space for dialogue and reflection, where marginalized individuals become the voice of the subject. This effort is what has brought her onto the path to socially engaged art.

Keywords:

• Taiwan
• feminism
• memory
• micro-history
• subject voice
• socially engaged art